Ruling AIADMK faction boots out Sasikala and Dhinakaran

— By Staff Reporter and Agencies | Apr 19, 2017 07:38 am

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PTI Photo by R Senthil Kumar

Chennai: In a late-night development in the middle of merger talks between the two factions of the AIADMK, over a hundred MLAs and at least 20 ministers in the ruling regime decided at boot out general-secretary V.K. Sasikala and her nephew T Dhinakaran from the party.

Earlier in the day, patch-up efforts between rival factions of the AIADMK had hit a hurdle after rebel leader O Panneerselvam demanded that both Sasikala and her Dhinakaran be first thrown out of the party.

However, the faction led by Sasikala made it clear that there cannot be riders for talks, with some loyalists asserting the two leaders would continue to be at the helm of the party.

Adding to the suspense, Dhinakaran, who returned to Chennai on Tuesday morning, did not express his view on the talks
for merger or the meeting held by the ministers late last night.

Meanwhile, Panneerselvam made it clear that his group’s “basic principle” of keeping the party and the government free from the “clutches” of a single family cannot be compromised.

Panneerselvam’s remarks came after last night’s confabulations, including the one attended by several senior Tamil Nadu ministers, after which they had appeared inclined to end the face-off between the rivals camps.